TRACK TALK: Modified Madness at Seekonk

Two-time winners in the field for Seekonk Speedway's 11th annual Open Wheel Wednesday Modified Madness on July 23.

Comment

By Lou ModestinoEnterprise Correspondent

The Enterprise, Brockton, MA

By Lou ModestinoEnterprise Correspondent

Posted Jul. 11, 2014 at 3:57 PM
Updated Jul 11, 2014 at 4:03 PM

By Lou ModestinoEnterprise Correspondent

Posted Jul. 11, 2014 at 3:57 PM
Updated Jul 11, 2014 at 4:03 PM

» Social News

The entries for Seekonk Speedway’s 11th annual Open Wheel Wednesday Modified Madness on July 23 have started arriving. Up for grabs to the winner is $10,000. Doug Coby of Milford, Connecticut, was the first entry to arrive. Colby will be behind the wheel of Rick Czarnecki’s No. 20. Coby is a two-time winner of the mid-summer classic.

Also entered is two-time winner Matt Hirschman of North Hampton, Pennsylvania in Bob Horn’s No. 59, which is the same ride he took to victory a couple of years ago. Additional entries have come from Joe Ambrose of Mattituck, New York, Canton’s Richard Savary, who was the winner of the most recent Valenti Modified Racing Series event at Seekonk, former MRS champion Jon McKennedy, former MRS Seekonk winner Steve Masse of Bellingham, Dennis Perry, Max Zachem of Preston, Conn., Colby Fournier of Berkley and Brandon Dion of Taunton who has been racing at Stafford Speedway in the SK Lites.

The biggest surprise entry to date is former NASCAR Whelen Modified Racing Series champion Bobby Santos III of Franklin, who will be driving for hometown racer Wayne Darling. Darling is a three-time winner of this event.

The 100-lap main event for the Modified Open has a record purse, including $1,000 to qualify, thanks to the Racing Guys and Jim Schaffer, who have been raising money since the winter months to push this third race of the Tri-Track Series. In addition to the purse for the Modified race, there is a $10,000 points fund to be distributed after this event.

Matt Hirschman was the winner of the first Tri-Track event in May at Lee USA Speedway (N.H.) with Jon McKennedy grabbing the second event in June at Star Speedway in Epping, N.H. Coming into this third and final event, McKennedy leads the standings over Rowan Pennink, 55 points to 52. Savary, Zachem and Hirschman are third through fifth. Anthony Nocella, Ryan Preece, Masse, Chris Pasteryak and Woody Pitkat round out the top 10.

The NEMA Midgets and NEMA Lites are on the schedule for the annual Boston Louie Seymour Memorial. This is the biggest winged Midget event in the Northeast. The event honors one of the most successful open cockpit owners, who traveled the country with some of the biggest named drivers in his USAC Sprint car. He earned the moniker “Boston” Louie from traveling from his hometown of Marlboro across the country. Kingston's Randy Cabral is the defending champion of this event.

General admission is $26 for adults, with kids 12 and younger free. Gates open at 6 p.m., with the first qualifier starting at 7.

Like a firecracker, Canton's Richard Savary sizzled and then exploded on lap 95, passing race leader Chris Pasteryak, and went on to win the Valenti Modified Racing Series sanctioned 11th annual Firecracker 100 at the Monadnock Speedway, Winchester, N.H., recently.

Page 2 of 2 - Savary started 14th in the 24-car field and quietly raced outside the top 10 until lap 30. Then laid back in sixth position from lap 34 through lap 73. Savary moved to second on lap 87 and then the lead at the completion of the 95th circuit to go on to record his fourth series victory.

“It very truly went the way I needed it to go,” Savary said. “I needed some cautions where we started down back. I got real fortunate toward the end. I was on the inside and there was no outside line for whatever reason. The guys really backed up bad. They got stuck out there and I was lucky enough to be on the inside.’’

The next stop for the VMRS will be a return to Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Conn., on July 18.

One of the oldest and biggest classic car shows in New England goes off on Sunday at the Endicott Estate in Dedham starting at 7 a.m. Lots of rare cars turn out for this show. There will also be a section for vintage race cars near the entrance on East Street.